The One I Love
by Sai the Super Saiyan
Summary: Ratchet is the medic of the Autobots, and he's dealt with a lot in his time. He's seen many injuries, and many wars. But no war that he's seen was greater than the war that divided the Autobots from the Decepticons, and consumed their home planet of Cybertron. When the Autobots came to Earth, they met and befriended some human children. And he grew very fond of one in particular...
1. Chapter 1

"Ratchet… Ratch…" Ratchet was pulled from his thoughts by Alice, the very same human femme that he'd been thinking of, who was now standing before him.

"Ah! Sorry for that; my thoughts were elsewhere," the Autobot medic stated as he scooped Alice up and placed her on his desk.

"What are you doing, Ratchet?" Alice asked, smiling up at him.

He couldn't help but crack a smile in response. "I'm working on the Ground Bridge. It needs a little bit of work."

Alice nodded at his statement then, much to his surprise, she climbed up his arm and onto his shoulder, where she sat. Ratchet nervously cleared his throat, his fans whirring. Then he moved away from the Ground Bridge and placed Alice on the ground as he kneeled down to complete his work on the control panel. Alice didn't move away immediately; instead, she stayed beside him while he worked for hours, only moving over to the nearby wall when she began to doze off. She sat down and leaned against said wall before nodding off.

When Ratchet was finally done, he looked around, noticing that Alice was no longer beside him. His search was quick and soon yielded results; he found her propped against the wall, fast asleep. A smile appearing on his face, he walked over and scooped her up before carrying her over to his medical berth. Before he set her down, however, he grabbed a folded blanket off of the nearby couch and placed in on the berth, then placed Alice down on it so that she could sleep comfortably. Then he sat down next to the berth and fell asleep himself, exhausted after his work on the Ground Bridge.

When Alice finally awoke, it was quite early in the morning; the other Autobots were still recharging, and the other humans were nowhere to be found. She looked around to see Ratchet sleeping nearby, then smiled as she crawled over. "Ratchet," she whispered, attempting to wake him, although her efforts were fruitless. "Ratch," she repeated as she stroked his cheek.

When she finally became aware that it was just her and Ratchet, Alice took a deep breath. She steeled herself, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. He remained completely unperturbed by her action and did not move. She blushed, realising that her action had probably been one of the stupider things she'd ever done. "I can't… I can't tell you how I feel," she whispered, turning her head away. All of the confidence that she had managed to muster had deserted her, and she felt rather silly.

As soon as she turned her head back, she noticed that Ratchet's optics were open, washing her in a soft blue glow and causing her to squeak in alarm.

He frowned. "What are you doing up?" he asked, his voice quiet. Alice gulped nervously and shook her head quickly.

"Oh, it's, uh, nothing!" she stammered. "I just had a bad dream, that's all." She scratched the back of her head nervously. "I'm… just going back to sleep now." She crawled away from the confused medic, then laid back down on the blanket, closing her eyes and turning her back.

Ratchet smiled as he readjusted his arms and reached a servo out, using a single digit to stroke Alice's soft human cheek, completely unaware that one of her eyes was open. "I heard you," he whispered to the supposedly asleep human femme, "And I feel the same way." He felt himself blush as Alice quickly rolled back over to face him, and he sheepishly looked away as she examined his face. "Oh… you, uh, heard me," he stammered. "I, uh, thought you'd gone back to sleep."

Alice giggled softly. "Don't worry about it," she breathed, sitting up. "It's actually kind of nice, knowing that you feel the same way." She smiled, and he returned the smile before shifting himself so that he was sitting and facing her, his face _just_ touching the very tip of her nose. Alice's heart skipped a beat; she wondered if this was actually happening or if it was simply another dream. At the same time, Ratchet was thinking the exact same thing…

So it was with great reluctance that he actually pulled his face away, although he hid this reluctance with a small chuckle. Alice pouted unhappily, causing Ratchet to grin.

"What's with the big pout?" he asked jokingly, knowing full well why she was pouting… and knowing equally well that he'd just teased her.

"You big tease!" she complained, earning nothing more than another chuckle as he stood.

"I know I am," he said, "But I can be a lot worse… and you don't really want to see that." He winked at her, making her blush again. "Also, there is the issue of the others walking out and seeing us, if we did end up kissing." He shrugged. "I'd hate to find out what the result of that would be, and it's almost time for them to wake up. Sorry," he said, causing Alice to pout again.

The sound of a footfall caused Alice to stop pouting and look over at the nearby door to notice someone standing there. It was Optimus Prime, the leader of the Earth-based Autobots, and she found herself panicking. She desperately hoped that he hadn't noticed anything amiss… but, of course, it was too good to be true.

A small, knowing smile appeared on the Prime's face as he looked between Alice and Ratchet. Then he placed a finger to his lips and said, "I will not say anything."

Ratchet and Alice glanced at each other before the medic looked back and nervously asked, "Uh… how much did you actually see…?"

Optimus shrugged. "You teasing the young human," he merely stated, walking over to one of the monitors and starting to type away.

Ratchet grunted. "Well," he muttered, "If you say anything, I will stab you in the optic with my blow torch." As this was under his breath, only Alice heard it, and it caused her to attempt to suppress her giggles.

Ratchet wandered over to where Optimus was working, and the two began working together. They worked until the remainder of the Autobots – Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee – walked out, only for Optimus to immediately turn to them and motion to the Ground Bridge with an inclination of his head. Ratchet opened it, understanding that Optimus was taking the others on a mission, and the three other Autobots turned to face their leader.

"Alright," he said, his tone of voice calm and serious, "We are heading to an energon mine that has not been entirely stripped." He looked over at Bumblebee and Arcee. "You two will be together," he said, then he looked at Bulkhead and said, "And you, Bulkhead, shall be with me." He turned to look at Ratchet. "Ratchet, you will stay here on Ground Bridge duty," he said, then turned to everyone and asked, "Are there any questions?" When everyone shook their heads, Optimus nodded and said, "Autobots, transform and roll out!" At his words, those who were going to the mine transformed into vehicular mode and drove into the bridge, with Ratchet closing it behind them.

He sighed in relief, thankful that Optimus had said nothing, and turned to face Alice. She was sitting on his medical table, keeping her eyes averted. He walked over and sat down on his chair, leaning close to Alice. She looked up at him as he did this, and their eyes met for the briefest of moments before she stood and walked closer to the medic's face.

He reached his servo up and stroked her face gently with a finger, leaving it to linger on her lips for a few moments before quickly pulling it away, not wanting to do that to Alice. She, however, did not have the same inhibitions as she leaned close to his face and gently pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened, and a small part of him wished that he could pull away, but the rest of him – spark included – prevented him from doing so.

Their lips lingered on each other's for a few moments longer before Ratchet finally regained control of himself and gently pushed Alice away with a finger. He was breathless, and she appeared to be the same way as he turned his head away and refused to look at her.

This confused her. "Is something wrong, Ratch…?" she asked, rubbing her arm nervously.

Ratchet slowly shook his head. "No… that felt… good," he admitted.

Alice's confusion grew. "So… why'd you pull away?" she asked.

The medic turned back to her and smiled. "Because I would have kept kissing you… and I would have lost track of time."

Alice soon had a cheesy grin plastered on her face. "C'mon… just one more?" she asked, holding up her index finger. Ratchet looked around nervously, then faced her again as she said, "Please?"

Ratchet sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. One more, that's it," he grumbled before moving his face closer to Alice's. She, in turn, reached up to meet him, and when their lips touched again they held the kiss for about ten seconds. Ratchet, yet again, pulled away, but this time it was only for a brief interval so that they could catch their breath.

He was about to kiss her again when the communications suddenly opened. Both human and bot straightened and pulled their faces away, and Ratchet stood and walked over to the hub to notice that it was only Optimus.

"Optimus!" he exclaimed, and Optimus nodded.

"We are in need of a Ground Bridge," he said. "We have completed our survey, and we retrieved the other children." Then he cocked his head to the side. "Is Alice still at base with you?" he asked.

Ratchet nodded. "Yeah, she is," he confirmed. "Alright, one Ground Bridge coming up. See you shortly," he replied before shutting off the communication line. Then he turned back to Alice and shrugged before walking over to the control mechanism for the Ground Bridge and opened it. Optimus and the rest of Team Prime, humans included, walked in, and as soon as the bridge was closed they all looked the medic up and down. Optimus' eyes glowed, and Ratchet could see that Optimus knew that something had happened while they'd been gone. This caused the medic to scowl. "What?!" he demanded. "Stop staring at me!" he yelled defensively, causing the others (minus Optimus) to laugh.

"Someone sounds defensive today," Arcee jokingly stated, making Ratchet recoil in horror. Alice struggled to suppress a laugh until Arcee glanced at her curiously, silencing her and making her straighten up. Arcee shook her head before turning back to Ratchet, shrugging, and said, "Well, I suppose that you always sound like that."

"So," Optimus said, "Old friend, did you and Alice have fun?" A few nanoseconds later the Prime clapped his servos over his mouth, realising what he'd just said… and the implications of his words. Ratchet and Alice looked at each other for a few moments, an expression of shock and rage on Ratchet's face, and a nervous one on Alice's.

The other Autobots looked at their leader, confused, as Alice jumped off of the medical table and walked over to the other children. Every single one of the group watched as Ratchet transformed his servo into a blow torch, and Alice only then remembered the threat that Ratchet had made towards Optimus in case he ever mentioned anything.

"Uh…," Optimus said as he took a few steps back. "Old friend… what are you doing?" he asked, even though he knew full well what was about to happen.

Ratchet didn't answer Optimus' question. Instead, he gritted his teeth in anger and roared, "Come here, Optimus Prime!" as he charged. Optimus only had precious few seconds to jump out of the way, and even so, Ratchet came dangerously close to burning out his left optic. As soon as he'd dodged Ratchet's initial assault, Optimus fled down the hallway – humorously screaming like a little girl – with Ratchet giving chase and shouting profanities of the Cybertronian kind at the poor Prime. The others began to laugh, although none of them really understood what was going on, and Alice rolled her eyes as she followed after them. She soon found herself at the door of Ratchet's room and slipped inside, preparing to wait however long it took for Ratchet to finally calm down and stop chasing poor Optimus.

The medic didn't return until a few hours later, and by then she had climbed onto his berth and was sitting there twiddling her thumbs. When he finally did decide to grace Alice with his presence he initially didn't notice her, and almost turned the lights off before he actually noticed her sitting there.

He grinned. "You just could not resist, could you?" he asked.

Alice smiled sweetly and shook her head. "Nope. After all, you did rescue me that day from Decepticons…" Then she smiled. "And that day was also our first – if not one-sided – kiss… remember?" she explained, her hands on her knees.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ratchet grumbled as he followed the readings of the energon locator. He'd been assigned to a scout mission along with the others, but Optimus had made them all go to separate locations while he stayed back at base, on Ground Bridge duty. The medic supposed it was fair – Optimus had been taking quite a fair few missions and had left the others on curb-side duty so that their human companions wouldn't be harmed – but he still didn't like the fact that Optimus had made him go. It was too far out of his comfort zone for his liking, but the medic sighed as he supposed that he could manage it… so long as he didn't run into any Decepticons._

_Suddenly the energon reading spiked, and Ratchet looked down at it for a few seconds before strolling around a corner and noticing what it had been going ballistic about. An energon mine, abandoned but not picked clean. There were a few large crystals nearby, and Ratchet knew that it was imperative that he got them, as Team Prime was running low on energon._

_Just before he went to get it, however, he noticed a human girl with white hair sitting on a nearby rock. The medic panicked and ducked behind a rock, not noticing that she'd actually spotted him until she jumped down and walked over to him. "Hello!" she said cheerfully, and Ratchet's optics widened in horror. This was bad. Very bad._

_And it got worse, too; Ratchet had not noticed that the mine had not been abandoned after all. A few patrolling Vehicons had noticed him, and as he peered out from his hiding place he noticed that they were looking – and aiming – right at him and the human girl._

_"SCRAP!" he hissed as he grabbed the human girl and dodged as the rock he was using as a hiding place was blasted apart. The girl screamed as he rolled behind another rock, then placed her down. She swayed on her feet, dizzy, but at present time Ratchet was not concerned about that. "Stay here!" he hissed before he ran out and meets the Decepticon onslaught. He quickly turned his servos into his blades and started to slash at every Vehicon that attempted to kill him, but he misjudged how skilled one was and ended up on the ground, at the completely mercy of the Vehicon._

_Suddenly he heard, "Stay away from him!" before something slammed into the Vehicon's face, and it screamed as it stumbled backwards. The human girl was standing next to the medic, a look of absolutely fury on her face and a crowbar in her hands. The Vehicon looked up at her only to get slammed in the face again, which knocked the 'Con out, before she started slamming the crowbar into it over and over again. Ratchet watched, both horrified and curious, as the Vehicon's spark went out before his very eyes._

_Ratchet got to his feet as the girl stopped her attack, huffing and puffing. However, the medic noticed that the other 'Cons were either dead or had run away, leaving just her and him in the clearing. He looked down at her and opened his mouth to ask her something, but quickly shut up when the girl retrieved a backpack from nearby and opened it. She then pulled out the largest energon crystal she could have possibly fit in the bag and handed it to him. He leaned down and took it just to get a quick kiss on the cheek, a thank you, and the crystal before the girl turned on her heel and sprinted off._

_Stunned, his spark aflutter, Ratchet was about to let her go before he remembered that she had had contact with him and was now in danger. He immediately transformed into vehicular mode and drove after her. When he finally chased her down, he noticed that she was in the middle of a rather loud and heated argument with a man he could only guess was a relative. Ratchet found himself bearing witness as the man slapped the girl hard before turning and getting into a nearby car, then driving off and leaving the girl to walk home. That was his cue. He transformed back into robot mode and quickly grabbed her, muffling her screams as he transformed back into vehicular mode and strapped her in. Then he sighed as she started to scream and cry._

_"For Allspark's sake will you please be quiet and listen to me?" he asked grumpily, which stunned her and caused her to fall silent. "Look, I am taking you back to base with me."_

_"Why?" she choked._

_"I'm taking you to see my leader, and it's for your own safety! You've had contact with me, so you've become a target for those creeps you saw earlier. Do you understand?" he asked. The girl mutely nodded, and Ratchet sighed. "Okay," he said, relieved, before opening a communication's line and saying, "Optimus, please open a Ground Bridge."_

_A Ground Bridge opened soon later, and Ratchet drove into it to soon find himself at base. The other Autobots had returned a while ago, and were now chatting lightly to their human companions, although they all shut up as Ratchet pulled up and opened his door, allowing the human girl that he'd picked up to get out._

_"Ratchet," Optimus said, looking down at her, "Why have you brought back this one?"_

_"Because she almost got killed by Decepticons," he stated, and Optimus nodded before looking down at her and explaining the reason behind the Autobots' presence on Earth. Then Ratchet got the shock of his life when Optimus asked him to be her guardian, but he didn't disagree. Instead, he nodded and said that he would do it._

_And although he got some curious looks from the others, the medic refused to explain the real reason behind his lack of argument…_


	3. Chapter 3

Ratchet chuckled. "How could I forget?" he mused as he sat down on the side of his berth. "That was the day I fell in love with you." His words caused Alice to grin. "Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "I have to recharge, but you're welcome to stay, if you'd like." He smiled softly. "I won't do anything, promise." His tone was sheepish as he spoke, and it made Alice laugh a bit louder than she really should have.

They heard footfalls then, and both of them shut up as Ratchet pushed Alice behind him, concealing her from Arcee as the Autobot femme opened the door and glared at Ratchet, both curious and irritated. "Go to bed, idiot!" she hissed, and Ratchet waved his hand at her.

"Alright, alright," he said, rolling his eyes, "I will. Goodnight, Arcee."

Arcee stormed out of Ratchet's room with no reply, the door closing behind her. Alice peeked out from behind the medic, who couldn't help but notice that her hand was resting on his aft. He looked down at her, only to be met with a cheeky grin and a wink. "Alice," he chastised softly, only to receive a sweet smile in response. He sighed before reaching down and plucking her off of his berth, holding her in his hands. She grinned at him, and he smiled back before carefully manoeuvred himself so that he was lying down. He placed Alice on his chest, only for her to crawl over so that she was positioned with her face leaning over Ratchet's. His optics carefully watched her, wondering what her next action was going to be, but she answered his question in her own special way; by leaning down and kissing him again.

He, of course, kissed right back, but this time they didn't bother to stop for air. They passionately made out for a few hours, stopping only when Alice broke the kiss off, panting.

"I…completely forgot… that you… need oxygen," Ratchet gasped, out of breath himself. Alice smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but yawned instead.

"I also need sleep," she murmured before slumping abruptly on Ratchet's chest, snoring softly as she did so.

Ratchet chuckled softly. "She's fast asleep," he mused to himself before reaching over – being careful not to move too much, so he didn't disrupt Alice – and grabbing a nearby blanket. It was large enough to cover the both of them, so he draped it over himself and put his back down to his berth before closing his eyes and finally inducing stasis.


	4. Chapter 4

Ratchet was rudely awoken by Bulkhead, who was standing over him with Miko sitting on his shoulder. The medic rubbed his optics and turned his head to look over at the olive green bot. "Yes, Bulkhead?" he asked, wanting to know why the former Wrecker was in his room. Bulkhead, however, refused to answer; he merely shook his head and walked over to the door, beckoning for Ratchet to follow as he left.

Ratchet waited for the door to close before he threw the blanket off of himself and Alice, exposing the sleeping human to the cold. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly, looking around in shock and cold. "What's going on?!" she hissed, panicked, but Ratchet quickly shushed her with a finger to her face.

"I don't know," he admitted as he picked Alice up and placed her on his berth before sitting up. "Wait here." He stood and walked out, soon finding himself in the main plaza of the base with the other Autobots and the other human children waiting for him. He glanced around, confused, never letting his optics linger on any of them for too long. He took particular notice of the fact that both Optimus and Arcee had their arms crossed over their chasses, expressions unreadable. Ratchet began to panic, and he silently questioned if anybody had heard him talking to – and making out with – Alice the night before.

"Ratchet," Optimus said, his voice both kindly and strict, "You chastise me for staying up late." He shook his head. "Why were you up so late?" Optimus' sudden question startled Ratchet, who had absolutely no idea how to respond. He knew that he couldn't tell them the truth. The only one who even remotely knew of Ratchet's feelings towards Alice was Optimus, who had raised an eyebrow at Ratchet's hesitation. "Answer, old friend," he said, snapping Ratchet from his racing thoughts. "Why were you up so late?"

"I… had stuff on my mind. It prevented me from sleeping," Ratchet lied, keeping his voice monotone. The others all shared a look before turning their attention back to the field medic.

"And where is Alice?" Bulkhead questioned, causing Ratchet's spark to stop. He definitely did not know how to answer _that_ without telling them what he had done with her.

"I'm right here, guys, don't worry about me," the human in question suddenly piped up, and everyone turned to face her. She had the biggest grin on her face, and her white hair was neatly tied back into its ponytail. Ratchet nervously gritted his teeth, hoping that nobody enquired as to where she'd been last night.

His hopes deflated when Arcee asked, "Where were you last night?"

Alice grinned. "Well," she said, "I got lost in the base and only managed to find my way back here just now so I was awake all night!"

Optimus and Arcee shared a confused look at the girl's enthusiasm, but they both decided to leave it at that. "Well then," Optimus said, diverting everyone's attention away from Ratchet and Alice, "We have to get to work." He gestured at one of the monitors. "I have located another energon mine, and this one is swarming with Decepticons." Everyone nodded, including Ratchet, who got the shock of his life when Optimus turned to him and said, "I am afraid that you will be the one who has to handle this one."

"Can I go too?!" Alice suddenly exclaimed cheerfully, which caused Ratchet to look at Optimus, who in turn was regarding him curiously. It was Ratchet who always prevented the humans going with the bots – the risk to their lives was too great – but this time, Ratchet relented with a nod, no words of argument, and a heaving sigh.

This was good enough for Optimus. "Alright, you may go with Ratchet," he stated, then frowned and said, "But be careful."

"Sweet!" Alice said, ignoring Optimus' warning. "Let's go whoop some Decepticon aft then!" she yelled as she clambered up his leg and onto his shoulder. The medic rolled his eyes as Optimus opened the Ground Bridge, and the two of them walked in and soon found themselves at the mine. As the Ground Bridge closed behind them, Ratchet spotted the Decepticons and quickly ducked behind a boulder.

"What do we do?" Alice hissed, peering out from their hiding place. "They're everywhere!" She looked up at Ratchet, who grimaced and shook his head.

"I don't particularly want to do this," he muttered, looking down at the human. "Not with you here."

Alice regarded him with a curious look before an idea popped into her head. "If you don't want to kick Decepticon aft," she said, a cheeky smile appearing on her face, "What _do_ you want to do?" Her tone was sly, her voice but a hiss.

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Don't tempt me," was all he said in reply, but it was enough to make the girl giggle softly. Ratchet smiled, hearing the giggle, but his smile soon fell as he realised that Alice's laugh had attracted unwanted attention, in the form of the Decepticon Soundwave. As Soundwave silently ordered the Vehicons with him to fire, Ratchet grabbed Alice and hissed, "SCRAP!" as he rolled away from the rock, then watched as it blew up seconds later.

"Ratch," he heard Alice groan, "I… think I'm… gonna hurl…" He ignored her, however, more concerned about her protection rather than her vomiting all over his servo. His free servo transformed into a blade on his command, and he held it up just in time to parry Soundwave's attack, holding the long, thin fingers of the Decepticon mere inches away from his face.

"OPTIMUS!" Ratchet roared into his comm, praying to the Allspark that Optimus could hear him, "I NEED AN ASSIST!" Unfortunately, all he received in reply was static, and it was enough to make him yell, "SCRAP!" as he jumped backwards, avoiding yet another attack by Soundwave. Looking down at his hand for the briefest of moments, he noticed that Alice was unconscious, and he grimaced as he looked back up at Soundwave and the numerous Vehicons. He realised in horror that he was terribly outnumbered… and trying to protect the one he loved the most.

As Soundwave pointed at Ratchet – a silent command for the Vehicons to attack – he leapt back, desperate to avoid their blows. Unfortunately, one managed to strike his face, and another stabbed Alice, although Ratchet believed that he had managed to protect her from harm.

"ANY TIME NOW!" Ratchet yelled into his comm, hoping that someone could hear him. He was met by more statis… but amidst that static was a distorted but recognisable voice.

"We… are… coming Ratchet! Maintain… your pos…ition!" the Prime yelled before the comm system cut off. Optimus had absolutely no idea if the medic had even heard him, but he still opened the Ground Bridge and yelled, "Autobots, roll out!" before turning on his heel and leading the others into the bridge, leaving the human children alone. Each Autobot knew that Ratchet was working on a remote control for the Ground Bridge, but it had never been tested in the field.

When the medic finally saw the bridge open, he initially believed it to be a Decepticon bridge, so he was quite relieved when the Autobots came charging out of it, weapons active. Their arrival quickly changed the tide of the battle to their advantage, and the Decepticons had no choice but to flee, Soundwave among them.

When the dust settled, the Autobots looked around. Ratchet had laid Alice on the ground and was now leaning over her, alarms ringing in his head as he noticed the blood smeared on his servo. Optimus made his way over, although he did make sure to comm the kids and tell them to keep the Ground Bridge open, and was closely followed by Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee.

"Is… Ratchet okay?" Arcee breathed, choosing her words carefully.

Optimus shook his head. "I do not know," he admitted, "For I have never seen him in this way before."

"Alice…," Ratchet whimpered, gently nudging the human with the tip of his finger. "Alice…? Please… Please wake up…" Nobody else heard him, because they had wisely stopped a comfortable distance away. Unfortunately, Ratchet had no idea how to treat the wounds of a human; his Cybertronian pride had prevented him from learning anything about human anatomy… and now, he was paying dearly for it.

He thought back to when the Vehicon had stabbed Alice, although he had been absolutely certain that he'd protected her. Now, he was not so sure, and cursed his incompetence. This caused him to punch the ground in anguish, drawing the attention of Team Prime. Raising his hand in order to tell the others not to follow, Optimus walked over and placed his servo on Ratchet's shoulder. "Do not fear, my friend," he said quietly. "I am sure that Nurse Darby will be able to save her."

Ratchet shook his head sadly. "I failed to protect her…," he whispered. Optimus looked over to notice that Arcee had disobeyed her order and had followed, but she was standing a short distance away. Still, she had heard, and she gave Optimus a grave look.

"I would feel the same way if I lost my partner," she stated, loud enough for the others to hear. Both Bulkhead and Bumblebee nodded in agreement as Ratchet suddenly stood, gingerly scooping Alice up, then looking back at Team Prime.

"Let's go, she needs a hospital," he said, his voice monotone and even. Optimus, however, detected the slight waver in his voice, and each Autobot knew that Ratchet was hurting where it hurt most: the spark.

When they returned to the base, Ratchet handed Alice to Optimus, and the Prime carefully took her before Ratchet turned into his altmode – an ambulance – and opened the back of the vehicle. Optimus carefully and gently placed the girl inside, then Miko, Jack and Raf jumped in on Optimus' request, in order to stay with the injured Alice. Then Ratchet closed the back door and sped off towards the nearest town – Jasper, Nevada – leaving Optimus, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee alone at base.


	5. Chapter 5

When Ratchet pulled up at the hospital, Jack and Miko acted quickly. They pushed open the back door and pulled Alice out on the trolley before quickly wheeling her inside to go find Jack's mother, the nurse that Optimus had mentioned previously. Raf stayed with Ratchet, who was completely silent. Raf expected no less of the bot.

Jack and Miko returned about twenty minutes later, Alice not with them, and got into the front of the ambulance before he quietly drove away. He did not understand what was happening, and why he felt like this. He'd never experienced anything like this.

Miko decided to try and lighten the mood. "Hey, can we have some music?" she asked excitedly.

"No," Ratchet replied bitterly, his tone instantly deflating Miko's attempts at being somewhat cheerful. "Just sit there and be quiet." The Japanese girl slumped against the chair, her arms crossed, and Jack just shrugged. Raf sat in the back, looking as if he was about to cry for some reason. The rest of the trip remained awkwardly silent, and the kids soon found that they could not wait to get back to the Autobot base.

Once they got there, Optimus watched in silence as the ambulance quietly drove in, stopping to let the kids out before transforming back into robot mode and heading to his room. Team Prime all looked after him, wondering if there was anything they could say would comfort him…


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later, at the hospital, Alice finally came to to find that she was hooked up to an IV. She looked down at the stitches on her abdomen and sighed heavily, for she knew that Ratchet would blame himself for this. She knew that it was actually her fault; she'd wanted to go along in the first place. Sighing again, she glanced out of the nearby window only to notice that the sun was beginning to set, and she frowned.

"How… How long have I been here?" she asked herself, turning her head to see a nurse walk through the door and over to the end of her bed. She repeated the question, hoping that the nurse would be able to give an answer, and was not disappointed.

"You've been here since around ten o'clock," she answered. "I'm Nurse Darby, Jack's mother. You can call me June." She smiled warmly at Alice, who couldn't help but smile in return.

Then her smile fell, forming a frown. "How did I get here?" she asked, gingerly putting her hand on her wound. June put her hand to a chin, thinking for a few minutes, before finally answering.

"Ratchet brought you here, with Jack, Miko and Raf's help," she replied. Alice stared at her, wondering how she knew about Ratchet. "And yes, before you ask, I'm aware of the Autobots. They saved me, once, from an organisation named MECH."

Alice nodded. "When can I leave?" she asked, clearly anxious to return to the Autobot base. June shook her head, although a smile did appear on her face.

"I'm sure that Ratchet can come get you now, if you wish. I'll just give them a call," she answered, then turned to leave. Nodding once, Alice relaxed gently back onto the pillow. She would be glad to see Ratchet again, especially after giving him such a scare. She found herself wondering what he was doing and if he was okay, but was interrupted from her thoughts when June walked back in and said, "He'll be here in about fifteen minutes. In that time, you need to be dressed and walking. Think you can do it?" she asked, motioning to a folded pile of clothes sitting on a nearby chair.

Alice nodded, and June left to give her some privacy. She sat up and gently scooted to the side of the bed before attempting to stand, ignoring the shooting pain in her abdomen as she managed to get to her feet. Slowly she changed, then carefully walked – waddled, even – out into the foyer, where she saw June waiting for her.

The nurse smiled as she grabbed a nearby book. "Okay, I'll just sign you out…," she murmured, more to herself than to Alice. "Okay, be careful on the way home, and don't strain yourself too much!" June warned, and Alice nodded. She then turned and walked out of the hospital, keeping it slow, before carefully making her way down the steps. Noticing the ambulance sitting at the curb, she smiled and tentatively walked over. Ratchet saved her the trouble of opening the door, simply allowing her to get in. She did this slowly, wincing in pain, before Ratchet shut the door and drove off.

Initially the medic did not attempt to converse with Alice, which made the girl feel guilty. However, he did surprise her by turning off-road and driving into a quiet, hidden little grove before stopping and opening the door. Confused, the human girl stepped out, then watched as Ratchet transformed back into robot mode.

"I'm so glad to know that you're okay," he whispered as he laid down on his front, ensuring that he was eye level with Alice. He smiled sadly at her as she reached out and rested a hand on his cheek.

"Well," she huffed, "I'm alive."

Ratchet's optics drifted down to Alice's abdomen at this, and he frowned. "Can… Can I please… see it? The scar, I mean," he asked tentatively, his voice soft. It embarrassed him to ask, but he was too curious for his own good.

Alice cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Sure you can. I mean, you _are_ a doctor," she mused before lifting her shirt up just enough to reveal the stitching. He shifted his arm so that he could reach out, and he gently brushed the wound with his fingertip. Alice flinched away in pain, causing Ratchet to immediately retract his hand in fear of hurting the human girl even more.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Ratchet whispered, averting his optics. Alice smiled and walked over to him, dropping her shirt back over the stitches. She leaned close to his face – she could kiss him if she so chose to – and put her hand on his cheek.

"You didn't hurt me, Ratch," she assured him. "It's still sore from this morning."

Ratchet smiled and placed his far larger servo over her hand.

"That's good to know," he said, sounding a bit happier. "Now we best be off, before the others start to question where we are. I was supposed to be back already…" He trailed off, and was about to stand when Alice kissed him again. It was only a quick peck on the cheek, but it still made Ratchet's spark skip a beat, as it always did.

He stood before transforming into vehicle mode and opened the door, inviting Alice in. She quickly jumped into the chair, wincing in pain due to her overexertion, and heard Ratchet click his tongue (which she promptly ignored).

"Let's go home then, shall we?" Alice stated cheerfully as Ratchet started to drive, heading through the trees until he reached the road. The rest of the trip was one of silence, but neither of them minded; they were just happy to be together again.


	7. Chapter 7

When the two of them finally returned to base, it was quite late, so the others were already recharging. Alice stepped out of the ambulance as he pulled up, allowing him to resume his normal form, and then he stretched as Alice looked around, glad to be back at the place she called her true home.

"I have to go to bed," Ratchet yawned, and she looked up at him. "I'm tired."

Alice frowned. "Fine… but I'm coming with!" she exclaimed, and Ratchet rolled his eyes and lowered his servo so that she could step onto it. He shook his head disapprovingly as he walked down the corridor towards his room, but didn't say anything; he was secretly happy that she was coming with him. It meant that he would be able to keep an optic on her and make sure she didn't hurt herself again. A poke on his arm caused him to look down at Alice, who seemed to be aware of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked, but Alice poked her tongue out at him and turned away. He looked down at her, waiting for an answer, as he opened the door to his room and stepped inside before striding over to the berth. He didn't bother to turn the lights on; instead, he set Alice down near the headrest of the berth before lying down and grabbing the nearby blanket. Alice crawled onto his chest as he pulled the blanket over the both of them, and she gave him a quick kiss before snuggling up to his chest and falling asleep. A small smile appeared on his face as he leaned back and closed his optics, following the example of his human partner.


	8. Chapter 8

When the morning came, Ratchet was the first out of the two to wake, which was not unusual. Alice normally slept a bit longer than he did, so it came as a surprise when she woke only a few seconds later. Of course, the first thing she did was complain about how her stomach hurt as she rubbed her abdomen, which confused him.

"Uh… your intestines are there, not your stomach," he said, trying to make sense of what she'd said, and Alice laughed.

"Oh, here on Earth, if our abdomens hurt we say that our stomachs hurt," she said, then shrugged. "Not too sure why." Ratchet rolled his eyes but didn't question it any further. Instead he picked Alice up before he sat up, tossing the blanket off of himself. Then he stood and set her on his shoulder before walking out of his room and down the hallway.

When he walked out into the main foyer, he noticed that nobody else was there, so he set Alice down on the medical berth before going over to a nearby monitor and typing away, beginning his daily work. Alice eventually decided to attempt to get his attention, but her plans were foiled when Arcee pulled into the base with Jack in tow. Bulkhead and Bumblebee, as well as Miko and Raf, were not far behind, and Optimus emerged from his room only minutes later.

Each of them shot a glance at Ratchet, who had not paid them any mind. Instead, he'd walked over to his medical berth and was talking to Alice about how he would soon need to take her back to the hospital, in order to get her stitches removed. He was keeping his voice down so that Team Prime would not hear, but Optimus didn't really mind.

"Ratchet, old friend, she will be fine," he said, gaining the doctor's attention… even if it was only a sideways glance. "Come over here; you need to be a part of this discussion." He beckoned the medic over, and Ratchet said one last thing to Alice before turning and walking over to stand next to Bulkhead.

"What's up with you recently, Ratchet?" the former Wrecker suddenly asked the medic, causing him to stiffen. The rest of Team Prime – minus Optimus – all looked up at the medic, who was keeping his face as monotone as ever. They could, however, tell that something was bothering him, and Alice knew _exactly_ what it was. Poor Ratchet had absolutely no idea what to say.

"I… have had a lot on my mind," he finally managed to say through gritted teeth. Bumblebee and Arcee glanced questioningly at each other, whereas Bulkhead just shrugged, apparently satisfied with the answer he'd been given.

Optimus sighed and raised a servo. "That's enough; leave Ratchet be. We have another matter to attend to," he explained. Everyone looked at him as he gestured to one of the monitors. "I have discovered the location of a crashed Decepticon vessel."

Everyone looked at each other, stunned. Then Alice's phone rang, and she immediately pulled it out to notice that it was her parents. She sighed. "Uh, guys?" she piped up, even though her ringtone had already caught everyone's attention, "I have to go home." She held up her phone, although she didn't answer the call. "I mean, as much as I have a bad relationship with my parents… when they call, I go." She turned to Ratchet. "Could you open me a Ground Bridge, please?"

He nodded sadly as he walked over to the control mechanism, then opened it and muttered, "See you…," as she cheerfully waved and disappeared into the bridge. Then he closed it and turned his attention back to Optimus. "Alright," he said, huffing, "So about that Decepticon vessel…"


End file.
